Egypt's Mubarak opens door to talks with rival political parties

(CNN) -- After 30 years of mostly unchallenged rule, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak opened the door Sunday to talks with rival political parties while calling out those who, he claimed, used religion to "spread fear" through rampant hooliganism. According to a transcript of his comments to leaders of his new government read on state-run Nile TV, Mubarak acknowledged what he called "peaceful demonstrations" as well as grievances about the economy....

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Experts: Egypt's fate rests in hands of popular, powerful military

photo AP/Ahmed Ali When tens of thousands hit the streets to decry an authoritarian regime -- calling for its overthrow, trying to overrun police, setting fires -- one might expect the arrival of army tanks would be met with fear, consternation and violence. But not in Egypt. The warm embrace that demonstrators gave troops this week illustrated the military's respected and central role in Egyptian society. This fact makes the armed forces potentially...

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Vandals rip heads off two mummies in Egyptian Museum

Vandals ripped the heads off two mummies and tossed relics onto the ground in Cairo's Egyptian Museum, the country's antiquities chief said Sunday. But the group of about nine people did not manage to steal anything from the museum's collection, according to Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. The would-be thieves, who broke into the museum Friday around 6 p.m., were arrested and jailed, Hawass said. The...

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Egypt's protests: What's next?

Egyptian demonstrators demanding the resignation of President Mubarak carry the body of a dead protestor past army tanks (CNN) -- With unprecedented numbers of protesters on the streets of Egypt calling for President Hosni Mubarak to resign, what clues do earlier demonstrations in the region offer about what will happen in Cairo?Results have been mixed. Tunisia, a relatively small and apparently stable country on the Mediterranean, triggered the...

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The military and the media: Holding the cards in Egypt?

Egyptian protesters gather around the national television building as members of the presidential guard stand by Friday in Cairo (CNN) -- As mass protests swept Egypt on Friday, the actions of two key institutions served as indicators for what lies ahead for the embattled regime: the military and the media. President Hosni Mubarak deployed the Egyptian army for the first time to the streets to quell angry demonstrations against his authoritarian...

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5.56mm Cartridge M193 NATO 5.56mm ball cartridge. There are currently five 5.56mm cartridges in service.

HistoryIn the mid 1950s testing was begun on finding a lighter replacement for the Winchester .308 (NATO 7.62mm) infantry rifle cartridge used by the in the M-14 rifle. Eventually three cartridges were select for further testing; the .222 Special, .224 Springfield, .222 Winchester. All were essentially lengthened versions of the recently introduced .222 Remington. Eventually the .222 Special was adopted and re-designated as the .223 Remington. The...

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M18A1 Claymore The claymore mine is a frag munition that contains 700 steel balls and 682 grams of composition C4 explosive.

DescriptionThe M18A1 antipersonnel mine was standardized in 1960, and replaced the M18 antipersonnel mine. Both mines are similar in appearance and functioning. The M18A1 claymore mine is a fragmentation munition that contains 700 steel balls and 682 grams of composition C4 explosive. It weighs 1.6 kilograms and can be detonated by command It is activated by electric or nonelectric blasting caps that are inserted into the detonator well. When employed...

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M93 Hornet An anti-tank off-route munition made of lightweight material that a person can carry and employ.

DescriptionThe M93 Hornet is an anti-tank off-route munition made of lightweight material (35 pounds) that one person can carry and employ. The Hornet is a non-recoverable munition that is capable of acquiring targets by using sound and motion detection methods. It will automatically search, detect, recognize, and engage moving targets by using top attack at a standoff distance up to 100 meters from deployment site. It is employed by combat engineers,...

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MG3, The MG3 is air cooled, belt fed, short recoil operated, and capable of firing on full automatic only.

HistoryThe MG3 (an abbreviation for the German word Machinengewehr meaning ""machine gun, model #3"") is a direct descendent of the WWII era German machine gun, the MG42, which was in turn, an improvement the MG34, originally developed by Metall und Lackierwarenfabrik Johannes Grossfuss AG, which entered production in 1942. The MG42 was one of the most terrifying infantry weapons of its time (nicknamed "Hitler's chain saw" and "Hitler's zipper"...

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Iran Claims to Shoot Down Spy Planes

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims to have shot down several Western spy planes, including two in the Persian Gulf, but provided no evidence. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which is based in the Gulf, says it has no reports of aircraft downed "recently." Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency on Sunday quoted the head of the Guard's air force wing, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, as saying Iran has "shot down a large number of ... highly advanced...

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